In the art, dishwashers are arranged, on an inside of a door closing the dishwasher tub, with a small detergent dispenser having a lid being controllably opened to dispense detergent from the dispenser into the tub.
This arrangement has a number of disadvantages. Firstly, a control system of the dishwasher must be configured to control the opening and closing of the lid in order to appropriately dispense detergent into the dishwasher, generally requiring a microprocessor controlling a solenoid to open and close the lid.
Secondly, dispensing of detergent into the dishwasher becomes inexact with this arrangement in terms of location in the tub where the detergent is released.
Thirdly, the detergent dissolves slowly with this arrangement. There are three major types of detergent; powder, liquid and tablets, and the dissolution of the detergent is particularly slow in the case of detergent compacted into tablet form. Occasionally, the tablet adheres to the dispenser during operation of a washing program and consequently does not even fall into the dishwasher compartment for dissolving.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,721,804 discloses a dishwasher including an auxiliary dispenser assembly used in conjunction with an auxiliary spray unit having a plurality of spray heads arranged along a wall of a washing chamber to create an intensified wash zone in the washing chamber. The dispenser assembly includes a storage compartment for housing a washing agent, a plurality of inlets leading to the storage compartment from one side and an outlet leading from the storage compartment. During at least one stage of a washing operation, at least a portion of the washing fluid delivered to the auxiliary spray unit is diverted and forced to flow through the storage compartment in order to pick-up additional detergent which is then delivered into the washing chamber for enhanced cleansing purposes.
A problem with the assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 8,721,804 is that the dissolving of detergent still is rather slow, although improved as compared to a single inlet solution.